The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-19
THE BORING At BRIGHTWOOD
The Drillers Go Twenty-Five Feet Into
Trenton Rock Without Finding Gas.
However. They Strike Small Supply of Oil
The Prospectors Begin Preparations for
Another Well in the Same Neighborhood.

The gas fever was high, yesterday, and specu-
lation as TO the developments az Brightwood alb
sorbed every other interest in street gossip. at
the Board of Trade, and other places where
waiting investors exchanged views Upon one
point there general agreement and that is,
if gas is not found in the immediate neighbor-
hood of the city. pipeline will surely ba laid
to Anderson, Noblesville or Pendleton. The
last-named place is considered only on the con-
tingency that the prospecting there discov-
ers enough warrant such enterprise.
1t is the general opinion among moneyed men
that the city will ultimately obtain gas through
this means though there many who hold
fast to the belief that experiments in the vicinity
of Brightwood or Bridgeport will bring it nearer
than the three places mentioned. But Bright
wood. in the counting chances. had the pref
erence, as the work at that point had progressed
sufficiently to heighten expectation. Saturday
night the drill there had stopped at $50 feet. or,
as another statement put it, at $40. but it was
supposed to be near the shell of slate which COW
ers the Trenton rock. While the data from
other points where gas has been discovered war
ranted the belief that the desired rock was fur
Their down. the hardened shae indicated that the
drill was not far from it.
The work, it was thought, would be resumed
at II o'clock Sunday, midnight. but the storm
prevented operations until near morning. It
was impossible to drill until the rain lesseped.
But from midnight until late in the afternoon
yesterday several directors and stockholders of
the Capital City Company waited patiently about
the derrick. During the darkness they had
something of a gypsy camp about the derrick.
10 tba ro;, al
Gray and D. H. Wies left the city st o'clock in
the morning through the driving storm. The
night was intensely dark and they could do
nothing but let their horse consider hiscown
safety in choosing the right way The journey
WAS completed without broken bones. and the
waiting for gas began with the storm raging
more severely, apparently, about the derrick than
at any other point in Brightwood. eaass
At dawn the drill began to bore through the
shale. This work continued until 11:5l A. NJ,
when it struck Trenton rock 1t was white with
brown specks here and there. to impress the
spectators and drilers that they were not far
from gas, if any existed IN the rock. About five
feet down the presence of oil was detected, and
as the pump brought up its mixture of refuse
the oil became more and more observable. By
IL o'clock last night the drill had gone about
twenty five feet into the rock without tapping
gas. but oil in small quantities continued to
come up. although not in quantities large enough
to interest the directors and stockholders. They
were disappointed at the result. but not disheart
ened. III we ma oil mere, no matter
in what quantity" they said, 1--WE cannot
be far away from the point where boring will
yield gas" They did not place their hopes on
that we'll, although the drill worked through
rock at the rate of foot aud half or two feet
an hour While this going q prospect
ing party set out to survey the neighborhood,
in which it is very probable new we'll will be
started.
The rock at Anderson in which gas was
tapped presents marked porosty, while that Of
one of the Muucie wells is somewhat fnty IN
the surface. Both specimens of a rusty
brown color, while the Brightwood rock is of al
most solid but roughened, surface. The Capt.
tai City directors purpose to continue their
periments until gas or no gas in that vicinity is
definitely settled